Friday, 29 June 2012

A new mobile phone app to help Cotswolds visitors get the most out of their time in the area has been launched.

The app is the first of a new series of Map and Guide apps being developed by Pocket Places Ltd and provides an alternative to traditional paper leaflets.

Featuring a tourist map of the area, top visitor attractions, places to stay and details about many of the Cotswolds’ towns and villages, the mobile phone app takes a proven formula in tourist information guides and brings it bang up to date for 21st Century technology.

Visitors can download the Cotswolds Map and Guide app before heading out to explore the area, and they can access the information wherever they are - regardless of whether they have a mobile phone signal.

The Cotswolds Map and Guide app includes details about tourist venues, such as historic houses, farm parks and museums.

It also features information about many of the different towns and villages in the area, including Bourton on the Water, Burford, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Gloucester, Stow on the Wold, Oxford and Stroud, as well as street plans of major places.

In addition, the app includes details about where to stay – from bed and breakfast accommodation to hotels.

“The Cotswolds Map and Guide app is the ideal companion for anyone visiting the Cotswolds or who’d like to find out more about what’s available in the area,” said app developer Mark Oakden.

“We’ve taken the tried and tested method of a tourist map and guide book, and turned it into a mobile phone application which provides a wealth of useful information in the palm of your hand. We believe it’s the first mobile phone app of its kind for the Cotswolds.

“Because the information is available offline, it’s ideal for an area such as the Cotswolds where mobile signals can be intermittent.”

The app also links to useful information such as train timetables and local weather details, which can be accessed where data connection is available.

Featuring more than 200 photographs, the Cotswolds Map and Guide app is available from iTunes priced £0.69. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

More than 120 guests attended the flagship event of business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum.

The annual general meeting and networking supper attracted delegates linked to the food and drink sector from across the East Midlands.

Sponsored by Pork Farms and The Food and Drink iNet, the event was held at Kelham Hall, near Newark, and included the AGM, presentations by Ian Noakes, of Dovedale Foods, and Dave Harrison, operations director at Everards Brewery, and a networking supper which featured a range of regional food and drink.

Key industry figures from across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland attended the event, which also featured displays by Nottingham-based Pork Farms, Nottingham Trent University, Leicestershire-based Integrated Food Projects, The Food and Drink Forum and The Food and Drink iNet.

“Our annual general meeting and networking supper is our flagship event of the year, and we were delighted to welcome so many people from the industry to this year’s event,” said Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson.
“It was the perfect opportunity for those connected to the food and drink sector in the East Midlands to network, make contacts and to find out about the latest trends and information for our industry.”

During the AGM, Board chairman Peter Knight thanked Mike Adams, of Frontier Agriculture, Lincoln, who has stood down from The Board after eight years. He welcomed Pankaj Pancholi, managing director of Leicester firm Just Egg, who has now joined The Board.

Andy Napthine, head of marketing at Pork Farms, one of the sponsors of the event, said: “For us, it was the opportunity to work with the broader food industry in the East Midlands and really help to pull the industry together a bit more and share the latest thinking and share the challenges and the opportunities as we work through what is a difficult economic environment at the moment.”

The Food and Drink Forum, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, has members across the region, including manufacturers, food service operators, and consultants and businesses providing services to the food and drink sector.

It was founded in 1998 as a not-for-profit, membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands.
Its aims include championing the food and drink sector in the East Midlands, developing strategic influencing partnerships within and outside the East Midlands, and acting as a centre for information and knowledge on all subjects relating to the food and drink sector in the region.

It also aims to stimulate and facilitate sustainable change within companies of all sizes across the food chain, generate income and secure resources to meet the needs of a high-quality service, and promote the food and drink sector to future employees through education and the raising of skills.

The photo shows, left to right, Andy Napthine, head of marketing at Pork Farms, which was one of the sponsors of the AGM and networking supper, Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson, and Richard Worrall, director of the Food and Drink iNet, which also sponsored the event.

The museum houses the largest collection of British road transport in the world – with more than 249 motor vehicles, 450 cycles, 120 motorcycles and well over 1,000,000 archival items.

“We are proud to be working on the Coventry Transport Museum scheme, and delighted to hear that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given the plans its initial support,” said Focus Consultants partner Kevin Osbon.

“Focus Consultants has significant experience of securing funding for heritage and leisure projects. We have worked on many key developments across the UK, including the recently opened SeaCity Museum in Southampton and Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, which opened at the end of last year, and which was recently named UK museum of the year by the Art Fund charity.

“This is an exciting project, not just for Coventry but for the wider transport heritage world too, as the transport museum is of international significance.”

Focus Consultants is now working with the rest of the team on the next stage of the Heritage Lottery Fund bid.

A first-round pass means the project meets HLF criteria for funding and HLF believes the project has potential to deliver high-quality benefits and value for Lottery money.

The application for Coventry Transport Museum and the Old Grammar School was in competition with other supportable projects, so a first-round pass is an endorsement of outline proposals.

Having been awarded a first-round pass, the project now has up to two years to submit fully developed proposals to compete for a firm award.
On occasion, an applicant with a first-round pass will also be awarded development funding towards the development of their scheme.

Focus Consultants specialises in creative approaches to securing funding packages and delivering high quality projects across the UK.

Since its creation in 1994, Focus has secured over £800 million of grant assistance, and delivered more than £1 billion of projects and programmes - including enterprise support, innovation, culture, health, regeneration, affordable homes and energy carbon sustainability projects.

Monday, 25 June 2012

Staff at Croots Farm Shop have peddled their way to raising £650 for charity as part of the Derbyshire farm shop’s fourth birthday celebrations.

The team took to exercise bikes and completed 200 miles to raise money for Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre.

The charity is the farm shop’s adopted good cause for 2012 – and the distance marked the length of the return journey from the Duffield shop to the holiday centre in Skegness.

The staff’s efforts were boosted by the proceeds of a raffle for a 53-inch teddy bear.

“It was a great team effort from the staff, who completed the cycle ride in pairs, and I’d like to thank them and all our customers who supported us,” said Steve Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop, based at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road.

“We were delighted to celebrate our fourth birthday and raise money for such a good cause at the same time. We’ve had brilliant support from our local community since we opened in 2008, and it’s great that we can give something back.”

Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre provides 450 holiday places a year to disadvantaged youngsters from the county.

Croots Farm Shop, its staff and customers have raised thousands of pounds for various charities since opening four years ago.

As well as Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, the store is also supporting the Shire Horse Society since Farnah House Farm has been home to Shire horses for many years.

Croots Farm Shop & Kitchen is open Sundays from 10am to 4pm (café until 3.45pm), and from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (café until 4.30pm). It is closed on Mondays.

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Focus Consultants is celebrating the news that one of its projects has been named the UK’s museum of the year by the Art Fund charity.

The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, which re-opened in December following a £24million renovation, was described by Lord Smith of Finsbury, the chairman of the judging panel, as "quite simply a magical place".

It is the latest in a number of accolades awarded to projects that East Midlands-based Focus Consultants has been involved in.

Last month the £5.4m refurbishment of Tudor House Museum in Southampton picked up the conservation project award at the 2012 RICS South East region awards, and went on to be named as the overall project of the year. The awards are regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the property world.

Focus Consultants was project manager on both the Tudor House Museum and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, which picked up £100,000 as the prize for being named museum of the year by the Art Fund charity.

“To say that we are delighted to hear that the Royal Albert Memorial Museum has been named the UK’s museum of the year is a massive under-statement. We are absolutely thrilled for the whole team involved in this project, which was up against some high profile rivals for the award,” said founding partner at Focus Kevin Osbon.

“Royal Albert Memorial Museum has been a big success since it opened last year, attracting thousands of visitors and significant praise. Focus Consultants is proud to have played a role in the development.”

Focus Consultants, which is based at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, and has offices at Endeavour Park, Boston, Princess Road East, Leicester, Aubourn, Lincoln, and Holborn, London, was part of the team that helped to secure almost £10million of Heritage Lottery Funding for the scheme, and was also quantity surveyor for the Royal Albert Memorial Museum re-development.

In addition, the company was part of the delivery team for the creation of the Ark Collections Store - a specialist storage facility built to house items of the decorative and fine arts and national history collections.

Run by Exeter City Council, the museum houses a diverse collection featuring a million items. It has attracted more than 200,000 visitors since re-opening in December.

Focus Consultants has worked on many key heritage, cultural and arts developments across the UK, including the recently opened SeaCity Museum in Southampton.
The company specialises in creative approaches to securing funding packages and delivering high quality projects across the UK.

Since its creation in 1994, Focus has secured over £800 million of grant assistance, and delivered more than £1 billion of projects and programmes - including enterprise support, innovation, culture, health, regeneration, affordable homes and energy carbon sustainability projects.

East Midlands-based civil and structural engineering firm BSP Consulting has launched a rural development service.

Details of the service were unveiled at the Three Counties Show, Worcestershire, where representatives from BSP Consulting were promoting the company’s expertise of working with rural and agricultural businesses.

The firm, which is based in Nottingham with offices in Derby, Leicester and Sheffield, will also be promoting its rural development services at the Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate, on July 10th, 11th and 12th.

The firm is now promoting its expertise in this area by highlighting the services it can offer to farmers and rural landowners.

“The Three Counties Show was an excellent venue for BSP Consulting to launch its rural development service,” said business development director Jef Todd. “We will be doing the same at the Great Yorkshire Show – showing rural landowners how they can maximise their assets.”

BSP Consulting offers a range of services that are relevant to rural development projects, including flood risk assessments, transport plans, environmental and geotechnical work, noise investigations, drainage work and installation advice.

The firm can offer support with many different rural projects. Its sustainable energy expertise includes biofuels schemes, wind turbines, solar power installations, anaerobic digestion plants, hydro installations and biomass projects.

Offering civil, structural, transportation, environmental and geo-technical engineering services, BSP operates across the UK.
Named Consultant of the Year 2009 at the East Midlands Property Dinner, the firm provides a comprehensive range of consultancy services to all sectors of the construction community, from architects, project managers and contractors to developers and estate agents.

Its offices are based at Oxford Street, Nottingham, Pride Park, Derby, De Montfort Street, Leicester, and Solly Street, Sheffield.

Can your cakes cut it? The Orange Tree pub in Nottingham is staging a charity bake off and is urging people who love to bake to show off their skills.

The event is being staged on Saturday July 14th in aid of Maggie’s, the cancer caring centre, which is based at the City Hospital in Nottingham.

Guest judges lined up to sample the tasty entries include Nottingham actress Ros Hanson, who featured in the Bafta award-winning This is England, Nottingham Post feature writer Lynette Pinchess, cake designer Danielle Gotheridge, who runs the Hockley-based Danielle Gotheridge outlet, and The Orange Tree’s head chef Jim Gordon.

Now organisers are appealing for bakers to start flicking through their recipe books to come up with ideas for cakes and bakes which will tickle the judges’ taste buds.

After judging, the cakes will be sold off to raise money for Maggie’s, which The Orange Tree in Shakespeare Street has supported with a number of fund-raising efforts.

“Baking is really growing in popularity and we know from chatting to our regulars that there are many enthusiastic amateur bakers out there,” said Orange Tree general manager Melanie Newbold.
“We decided it would be a fun idea to stage our own bake off and at the same time raise money for local charity Maggie’s. We’ve lined up some judges who are looking forward to sampling the entries, so now we want to hear from people who are keen to enter our bake off competition at The Orange Tree.”

Entries are being invited from anyone who loves to bake. The competition, which is free to enter, has a number of great prizes on offer for the winners.

Details for entering The Orange Tree’s bake off are available from the pub and also to download from the website www.orangetree.co.uk or by emailing nottingham@orangetree.co.uk

Forms need to be submitted by Sunday July 8th for those who wish to enter.
Cakes need to be at the pub between 11am and noon on Saturday July 14th, with judging starting at 1pm followed by the cake sale later.

Thursday, 14 June 2012

Award-winning pie maker Margaret Robinson didn’t let temptation get the better of her and her husband Nigel as they embarked on a slimming mission.

The Derbyshire couple shed eight and a half stones between them, and now Margaret is planning to help others do the same by starting her own Slimming World sessions.

Margaret makes all the pies at Croots Farm Shop near Duffield, as well as scones, cakes and other tasty treats.

However, by abiding by the ‘all things in moderation’ rule, she managed to lose three and a half stone over seven months, which she has now kept off for 18 months.

She was helped in her mission by carefully choosing her diet options, which included the slinky sausage from Croots, which is extra lean and which Margaret helped to design for those who are watching their weight.

Husband Nigel has also trimmed down by losing an amazing five stone over 12 months after being warned by his doctor that his health was at risk if he didn’t do something about his weight.

Now Margaret, who is deputy manager at Croots, is becoming a consultant with Slimming World, with sessions starting on Wednesday June 20th at 7.30pm at St Benedict Catholic School, Duffield Road, Derby.

“Surrounded by lovely food all day, I probably have one of the most difficult jobs for someone trying to lose weight but Nigel and I are proof that you can do it, whatever the circumstances,” said Margaret, who lives at Mickleover.

“Yes I make pork pies, scones and other lovely products, but as long as you keep things in moderation it’s possible to trim down. I’m looking forward to helping others in Derbyshire to get down to a healthy weight, and hope my experience will inspire them.”

Steve Croot, owner of Croots Farm Shop, based at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, said: “We’re really proud of Margaret and Nigel’s achievement. Margaret’s weight loss is roughly the equivalent of a sack of potatoes, which is incredible.”

Anyone interested in joining Margaret’s Slimming World sessions can drop in to St Benedict Catholic School at 7.30pm on Wednesday June 20th.

Croots Farm Shop & Kitchen is open Sundays from 10am to 4pm (café until 3.45pm), and from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (café until 4.30pm). It is closed on Mondays.

The Food and Drink iNet is backing a research project which is delving into how probiotics work in the gut.

A team at The University of Nottingham is investigating the optimum way of carrying and releasing probiotics – substances containing live microorganisms that claim to be beneficial to humans by restoring the balance of microflora in the digestive tract.

The research aims to pinpoint how effectively probiotics work when in the gut, obtain proof that they are effective, and to look at whether probiotics could become part of everyday foods such as bread.

Now the Food and Drink iNet, which encourages innovation in the food and drink sector, is backing the work with a £39,500 grant, and hoping that the results of the study could bring key benefits to the food and drink sector in the East Midlands.

The team is also looking for an industrial partner to join the consortium to add value to the project by producing food products which contain probiotics for testing via the developed device.

The potential partner would need to have an interest in developing a probiotic food product, and would be expected to help develop the food ingredients and conduct factory/pilot scale trials in preparation for clinical trials.

The project could be suitable for a range of different food products as the collaborators are actively interested to identifying novel applications.

“This research has great potential for local businesses because it will help to identify an effective probiotics delivery method and should provide substantiated evidence that probiotics are effectively delivered to the gut, which will mean that manufacturers can use this information to substantiate claims on their packaging and marketing material,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall.

“Ultimately it may help manufacturers to add probiotics to a range of different products, which could help to improve the nation’s gut health.”

The project is being led by Dr Ian Fisk, a lecturer in food chemistry at The University of Nottingham, who is working with a range of different collaborators.

“Once the initial part of the research has been carried out, a number of small and medium-sized businesses in the East Midlands will be invited to trial the use of probiotics in their products,” said Richard Worrall.

Dr Fisk said: “It is envisaged that this research will generate increased revenue for the East Midlands and the UK, enhance the training of key skilled workers within the project and through dissemination contribute to a healthier society and a more sustainable UK economy. We are grateful for the Food and Drink iNet support.”

The team is currently looking for an industrial partner that can offer an ‘in–kind’ contribution of up to £50,000 in return for a small grant to the partner of £5,000. The contribution can comprise time, access to pilot facilities, the use of equipment or other types of investment.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), The Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands.

It has developed an effective network to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge, and local food and drink business innovation needs.
It aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes.

The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by The Food and Drink Forum and including Nottingham Trent University, The University of Lincoln, and The University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

Thursday, 7 June 2012

Tops tips on tender writing for public sector contracts will be available for East Midlands businesses at a free seminar later this month.

The workshop is the second of three sessions being run to help small and medium-sized companies to learn the secret of success when it comes to bidding for public sector contracts.

Open to all sectors and to businesses across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, the workshops are being delivered by specialist consultants who have a proven track record of supporting businesses across a variety of sectors.

The programme is being run by Nottingham Trent University’s Future Factory in association with The Food and Drink Forum and Action Sustainability.

Future Factory is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and aims to support East Midlands small to medium-sized companies to adopt more sustainable products and processes.

The next workshop turns the spotlight on writing a winning tender, and takes place at Nottingham Trent University’s Clifton Campus between 9.30am and 1.30pm on June 20th.

The final session, which is being staged at Nottingham Trent University’s City Campus on July 4th from 9.30am to 1.30pm, will concentrate on practicing the presentation skills that can help your company to win over a potential buyer.

“The first session, which focused on writing a successful Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, attracted businesses from a wide range of sectors and was a real success,” said Lisa Unwin, from The Food and Drink Forum.
“I would urge any East Midlands company to sign up for the next sessions if they’d like to receive essential advice and support for winning new business.”

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

More than 150 guests are expected at the annual general meeting and networking supper of one of the largest food and drink business support organisations in the East Midlands.

The evening, which is the flagship event of the year for the Food and Drink Forum, takes place at Kelham Hall near Newark on Tuesday June 26th.

Key industry figures from across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland are due to attend the event, which this year is being sponsored by Pork Farms and the Food and Drink iNet.

Speakers include Ian Noakes, of Dovedale Foods, and Dave Harrison from Everards Brewery.

Ian, who runs a company based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, which manufacturers a range of sauces, including dairy and gluten-free products, under the Sauces of Choice brand will be delivering a presentation entitled ‘Working for yourself? You must be mad’.

Dave, who is operations director at Leicestershire-based independent family brewery Everards, will deliver a presentation focused on ‘Food and drink from a small business perspective’.

“Our AGM and networking supper is the ideal time for those linked to the food and drink sector in the region to come together to network, make contacts and to hear about the latest sector trends,” said Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson.

“We are very pleased that once again we will be welcoming so many professionals from across the East Midlands.”

The Forum, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, has members across the region, including manufacturers, food service operators, and consultants and businesses providing services to the food and drink sector.

The Food and Drink Forum was founded in 1998 as a not-for-profit, membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands.

Its aims include championing the food and drink sector in the East Midlands, developing strategic influencing partnerships within and outside the East Midlands, and acting as a centre for information and knowledge on all subjects relating to the food and drink sector in the region.

It also aims to stimulate and facilitate sustainable change within companies of all sizes across the food chain, generate income and secure resources to meet the needs of a high-quality service, and promote the food and drink sector to future employees through education and the raising of skills.

Friday, 1 June 2012

Staff at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire will be taking to the saddle to raise cash for their adopted charity to mark the store’s fourth birthday.

But the team will be going nowhere, as the charity stunt will take place on exercise bikes in the shop near Duffield.

The staff have vowed to pedal 200 miles – the return distance to the seaside resort of Skegness, which is where Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre is located.

During 2012, Croots is supporting the children’s holiday centre, which provides 450 holiday places a year to disadvantaged youngsters from the county.

Last year, staff at the farm shop completed a sponsored walk up and down the drive to Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, to celebrate the store’s third birthday – taking in more than 50 miles by doing the walk in relays. They raised more than £1,200 for Treats Children’s Charity.

This year the team will be getting on their bikes over the weekend of June 16th and 17th and are hoping once again that customers will get behind them and support their efforts.

They have set themselves a £1,000 target and have already begun collecting donations.

The shop will also be staging a pork pie festival over the weekend as part of the celebrations.

“Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre is our adopted charity of the year and, with the help of customers, we hope to raise a decent amount of money to help the charity to give holidays to disadvantaged youngsters from Derbyshire,” said Steve Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop.
“We’ve had great support from our customers since we opened in June 2008, and we like to show our appreciation by giving something back to the community.”

The shop is also raffling a giant 53-inch teddy bear in aid of Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre.

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